Concord Cemetery

Ground Penetrating Radar surveys tell a silent story here at Concord Cemetery. They whisper of 60 to 80 souls laid to rest, their stories echoing through the ages. Concord Cemetery is more than just a peaceful patch of green. It’s a poignant tapestry woven from the threads of history, a solemn reminder of the pioneers, veterans, and Seminole Indians who rest beneath its surface. The earliest burials date back to the tumultuous years of the 1830s and 1850s. This was a time when the land echoed with the drums of conflict during the Seminole Wars. A sturdy blockhouse, christened Fort Concord, stood sentinel against the tides of war. While the fort succumbed to the ravages of time sometime between the Civil War and 1885, the cemetery endured. In 1885, a church rose nearby, its presence a beacon of hope. Veterans of the Civil War and weary pioneers found their final peace here, their graves joining those of the Seminole warriors and early settlers. Tragedy struck again when the Concord Church was consumed by fire, its flames devouring not just timber and stone, but also the irreplaceable burial records. Despite this loss, interments continued until 1920, when the cemetery’s trustees passed, leaving it vulnerable to neglect and the slow encroachment of oblivion.